# Museum Social Enterprises Rainworks Omnimedia Supports Clean Water and Literacy Programs By Tiana Reid | Published 2011-06-23 | Social Good Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/rainworks-omnimedia References: [facebook](http://www.facebook.com/pages/RainWorks-OmniMedia/265730714789) & [rainworksomnimedia](http://www.rainworksomnimedia.com/) It's a common argument that many traditional museums aren't progressive and that they fail to capture people's attention, especially in the digital age. Rainworks Omnimedia, a Chicago-based social enterprise museum, is unlike your typical age-old museum on many levels. By producing [traveling museum exhibitions](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/superpower-studios) for natural history and science museums, Rainworks Omnimedia harnesses [technology, multimedia](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/immersive-art-installation) and intriguing narratives in order to engage museum-goers of all ages and interests. Founded by Gail Vida Hamburg, Rainworks Omnimedia brings together a plethora of writers, academics, illustrators, researchers, historians and academics to create complex and invigorating traveling exhibitions. The 2011 programming schedule includes the following absorbingly titled exhibitions: 'Brave New World: On Technology and Trends,' 'Glam: The History of Beauty,' 'Pure Elegance: The Wonder of Mathematics' and 'Economia: Money Matters: The Exhibition of Personal Finance.' As the only social enterprise in the museum industry, Rainworks Omnimedia gives a portion of after-tax, post-sustainabiltiy proceeds to [clean water](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/one-drop-foundation) and girls literacy programs in less-industrialized countries. Founder and CEO Gail Vida Hamburg had been a social entrepreneur since the late 1980s -- she started a clothing line handwoven by women in Malaysia, India, Bangladesh and Pakistan -- before social entrepreneur even had a name. What's more, Hamburg started Rainworks Omnimedia as a response to what she calls “the commercialization of museum science education with Hollywood film brands.” Rainworks Omnimedia is transformative on many levels: as an education tool, as a business model and as a giving inspiration. **Contact Information:** [Rainworks Omnimedia Website](http://www.rainworksomnimedia.com/) 415 North Aberdeen Street, 1st Floor Chicago, Illinois 60622 Telephone: 312-602-5369 Fax: 312-850-9799 ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 3.2/10 - Popularity: 22% | Activity: 65% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Gen Z, Gen Alpha, Gen X - Top markets: South America, Asia, Africa ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Social Good](https://www.trendhunter.com/socialgood) > [Social Business](https://www.trendhunter.com/socialbusiness) ## Key Themes ### Why This Trend Is Growing - **Traveling Museum Exhibitions:** Opportunity for other museums to create complex and interactive traveling exhibitions that utilize technology, multimedia, and intriguing narratives to engage museum-goers of all ages and interests. - **Social Enterprise in Museums:** Opportunity for other museums to adopt social enterprise models and donate a portion of their proceeds to charitable causes. - **Progressive Museum Education:** Opportunity for museums to transform their education tools and business models to better capture people's attention, especially in the digital age. ### Industries Being Reshaped - **Museum Industry:** Museums can adopt similar business models to Rainworks Omnimedia and create traveling exhibitions that incorporate technology, multimedia, and intriguing narratives to engage all museum-goers. - **Social Enterprise Industry:** Social enterprises in other industries can learn from Rainworks Omnimedia's model of donating a portion of their proceeds to charitable causes. - **Education Technology Industry:** Opportunity for the education technology industry to work with museums to create innovative and engaging tools for museum-goers of all ages and interests. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Sensory Museum Experiences](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/sensory-museum.md) - [Inclusive Museum Designs](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/inclusive-museum-design.md) - [Engaging Youth-Focused Platforms](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/mused.md) - [Visual Museum Campaigns](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/museum-campaign.md) - [Strategic Museum Fundraising Campaigns](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/living-museum.md) - [Architecturally Intricate Museums](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/studio-for-architecture.md) - [Multi-Sensory Art Experiences](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/arcadia-earth-toronto-benjamin-von-wong.md) - [Social Responsibility-Aligned Corporate Marketing](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/goodbrand-impact.md) - [Interactive Marine Ecosystem Sculptures](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/marine-ecosystem-sculptures.md)